Self-filing guide · ipindiaonline.gov.in
How to file a trademark yourself in India
Everything the portal asks for, the real government fees, and an honest account of where an expert changes the result. No sign-up to read it.
What you need
- A Class 3 Digital Signature Certificate (DSC) in the applicant's name (or the authorised signatory's, for a company). Issued by a licensed certifying agency in a day or two; about ₹1,000 to ₹1,500.
- A user account on the portal, registered as Proprietor/Applicant with that DSC.
- Applicant details exactly as on PAN / incorporation documents, and an Indian address for service.
- For the ₹4,500 fee as a startup or small enterprise: DPIIT startup recognition or a Udyam (MSME) certificate. Individuals need neither. Udyam is free and takes about 10 minutes online.
- The mark: the word, or the logo as a clear JPG (max 8 cm × 8 cm when printed).
- The class and a precise description of the goods or services (the Nice classification; the portal has a picker).
- If you already use the brand: the date of first use and a user affidavit with proof (invoices, packaging, ads).
Filing, step by step
01
Search first. Check the exact name, sound-alikes and your class here, and look at logos in the IP India public search. A refused application does not get the government fee back.
02
Get a Class 3 DSC and register on the IP India e-filing portal as a new user (Proprietor/Applicant). Log in with the DSC token plugged in.
03
Open Comprehensive e-Filing → New Application → Form TM-A. Choose the applicant category (individual / startup / small enterprise, or other), fill the applicant and mark details, upload the logo if any, pick the class and write the goods or services.
04
State whether the mark is proposed to be used or already in use (with the date and an affidavit if in use).
05
Sign the form with the DSC and pay online: ₹4,500 per class for an individual, or a startup or small enterprise with DPIIT or Udyam proof; ₹9,000 for everyone else. Download the acknowledgement; the application number on it is yours from that moment and you may use ™.
06
Track the status on the register. Expect an examination report within a few months; reply within 30 days of receiving it or the application is abandoned. After acceptance the mark is advertised in the Journal for four months, during which anyone may oppose; if nobody does, the registration certificate follows. Registration runs 10 years from the filing date.
Government fees
E-filing amounts under the Trade Marks Rules, 2017, per class. The same whoever files.
TM-ANew application (individual, startup or small enterprise)₹4,500Individuals pay this with no proof. A startup needs DPIIT recognition and a small enterprise its Udyam (MSME) certificate; without it, ₹9,000.
TM-ANew application (company, LLP, partnership, others)₹9,000
—Reply to examination reportNo feeWithin 30 days of receiving the report.
TM-MAdjournment of hearing, extension or other request₹900At most two adjournments, each up to 30 days.
TM-MReview of the Registrar's decision₹2,700Within one month of the decision.
TM-ONotice of opposition, or counter-statement to one₹2,700
TM-RRenewal (every 10 years)₹9,000Can be filed up to one year before expiry.
TM-RRenewal with surcharge (up to 6 months after expiry)₹4,500 + renewal fee
TM-RRestoration and renewal (6 to 12 months after expiry)₹9,000 + renewal fee
TM-PChange of name or address, other post-registration changes₹900
Yourself or with an expert?
The government fee is identical. What differs is the judgement calls, the writing in the reply, and whether every deadline is met. Here is where each path stands.
YourselfWith an expert
Search and the go/no-go callYourself: The free search here finds spelling and sound-alikes. Logos, related classes and prefixes/suffixes need a manual look, and the call on 'file or change the name' is yours.Expert: Checks devices and related classes too, and tells you before you pay the fee whether to file, tweak the name, or pick another class. A refused filing costs the full government fee.
Class and the goods/services wordingYourself: The description cannot be widened after filing. Too narrow leaves gaps; too broad invites objections and oppositions. Wrong class means filing again and paying again.Expert: Writes the specification to cover what you sell now and will sell, in the classes that matter, in the wording examiners accept.
Fee category and proofYourself: Filing as a startup or MSME without the certificate draws a deficit-fee notice and delays examination.Expert: Gets the Udyam or startup proof in order first so the ₹4,500 fee holds.
Examination report (about 4 in 10 applications get one)Yourself: The reply is a legal argument: why the mark is distinctive (Section 9) or not confusingly similar to the marks cited (Section 11), with evidence and case references. 30 days, no extension to count on. A weak reply leads to a hearing or refusal.Expert: Drafts the reply to each objection with precedent and your evidence of use; knows when a consent letter or a small change saves the application.
Hearings and oppositionsYourself: Hearings are argued live (video). Oppositions run through pleadings and two evidence rounds with 2-month deadlines; one missed step and the application is abandoned.Expert: Appears for you, files on time, and advises whether to fight, settle or withdraw before more money goes in.
Deadlines over the 12 to 24 monthsYourself: You watch the status yourself: reply in 30 days, opposition window 4 months, counter-statement 2 months, renewal every 10 years. Most dead applications died of a missed date, not a bad mark.Expert: Tracks every date and tells you only when something needs a decision.
Doing it yourself is reasonable when
- It is a plain word mark (no logo) in one class.
- The search shows no identical or sound-alike live mark in that class.
- You have, or will get, a Class 3 DSC and are comfortable with online forms.
- You can describe your goods or services precisely and will check the status every month for a year or two.
What it costs either way
- Government fee: the same whoever files (₹4,500 or ₹9,000 per class).
- Yourself: plus a DSC (about ₹1,000 to ₹1,500) and your time.
- With Invorn: a professional fee on top of the government fee, shown on the fee table. Free consultation first; if you are not happy before the application is submitted, the fee is refunded.
Invorn: search + filing from ₹1,299 + govt fee · objection reply ₹1,949 (no govt fee). Full fee table.
Ask which path fits your caseNot sure which path? Ask. The consultation is free and there is no pressure to buy.